Tag: Reiki Basics

Hooray! You’ve just scheduled a Reiki healing session. …Now what?

 

In this article, I will describe some simple things you can do in advance of your session. Doing these things will help you attain the maximum benefit for your time and money.

 

Please note: completing these four suggestions is optional. You will always receive healing by simply showing up to the session. However, these additional tips can help you dive even deeper into the miraculous power that is Reiki.

 

Please note: I am not a medical doctor nor am I a licensed medical practitioner or psychologist. This article does not constitute professional medical or psychological advice. I am simply sharing my personal opinion, based upon my years of serving as a minister and Reiki master.

 

 

1. Journal about your intentions for the session.

It helps to get very clear about why you are wanting the session. Are you hoping for a physical healing? An emotional release? Intuitive guidance? Are you feeling touch-deprived and simply wanting wholesome human contact? Are you feeling lost and craving spiritual re-connection? Are you simply curious and wanting to learn more about a method of healing?

 

Each day prior to your session, you can spend about 5-10 minutes writing in your journal, answering these questions. If you don’t enjoy writing, you can do some deep reflection by recording yourself speaking on video.

 

Through reflective journaling, you are imprinting powerful messages into your subconscious mind about what you would like to co-create with your practitioner and the Universe. You are clearing subconscious blockages. You are setting the stage.

 

If you take the time to do this journaling, you will enter your session lighter, clearer, and with more confidence in the process.

 

2. Drink extra water.

Beginning on the day you sign up for your session, please be mindful to drink extra water. By drinking extra water prior to the session, you are preparing your bodily system to more easily adapt to the healing transformations that will occur.

 

A good rule of thumb is to double the amount you are already drinking per day.

 

Consider drinking purified or spring water, as these are the absolute best for healing. Adding a bit of organic lemon juice will also boost your body’s internal cleansing processes.

 

 

3. Wear comfortable clothing

On the day of your session, select clothing that makes you feel relaxed, happy, warm and comfortable. Choose an outfit that is loose around the waistline, so you can breathe fully and easily. If possible, wear natural fibers such as pure cottons or silks.

 

By wearing comfortable clothing, you are signaling to the body-mind that you are allowing a deep relaxation to occur. This allowance is vital to the Reiki healing experience.

 

 

4. Arrive to your session a bit early.

If possible, arrive to your session at least ten minutes early. If you can arrive twenty minutes or even a half an hour early, that would be even better.

 

Once you arrive, if the weather is nice and the neighborhood is safe, it would be great to take a slow, meditative walk. With each step, notice the physical sensations of your body moving. Notice the colors of the trees and the landscape. Notice the sounds—are the birds chirping? Are the trees rustling in the breeze? Are there people laughing or talking? Notice the sights and the sounds. Breathe.

 

If the weather is not conducive or if the neighborhood doesn’t seem relaxing to you, then you can simply sit in your car (or find a soothing place nearby, such as a library or a quiet café) and spend a few minutes enjoying the peaceful quiet. Close your eyes and bring your attention to the physical sensation of your breath. Notice your belly and chest rising and falling. Notice the coolness of the air entering your nostrils. Notice the length and duration of your inhales and exhales. Notice everything you can about how it feels to breathe. Allow your mind to calm down and enter a state of simplicity.

 

One of the main purposes of Reiki is relaxation. By arriving a bit early, you give yourself enough time to begin that relaxation process yourself. If you can greet your practitioner with a little bit less tension in your body or with a little bit less mental noise, then your time spent in the healing room will be maximized. Your session will go deeper and be more profound—thanks to you, because you took the time to begin the healing process yourself. Bravo you!

 

In the end, Reiki is all about self-empowerment. There are so many ways that we can make our lives more peaceful, more joyful, more strong and more free. Reiki is one method among many that help us tap into the core of our true selves. Feeling and understanding that true self is what makes true healing possible.

 

♥♥♥

 

If you’d like to learn additional ways to prepare for a Reiki session, please check out my YouTube video on this topic.

 

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Let us know how your Reiki session went!

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So, you’ve just experienced your first Reiki healing session. I’m so happy for you! It’s wonderful that you’ve chosen to prioritize your wellbeing.

 

Maybe you are wondering…”What comes next?” In truth, your first session marks the beginning of a deep healing journey that may take days, weeks, months, or even years to fully integrate.

 

In this article, we explore what to expect after a Reiki treatment and the 7 most important self-care tips. By following these pointers, you’ll receive more benefit and accelerate the healing process.*

 

1. Drink lots of water

 

If you heed only one of these tips, I hope it’s this one. It’s the most important.

 

Simply put, a Reiki session triggers a detoxification process. Water is essential for the detox process to happen safely and efficiently. For the next few days, pay attention to how much water you’re drinking and aim to double the amount you’d normally drink.

 

If you regularly drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks, now would be a great time to begin to wean yourself off them, as they negatively impact the body. Fortunately, there are many options available if you’re looking for substitutions. You can buy cold-pressed veggie juice or make your own raw juice at home. Sparkling (sugar-free) water is a great replacement for soda. Herbal teas are delicious and nourishing. And, if you love the taste of coffee (like me), you will love Teeccino, which is a delicious herbal drink that closely mimics the taste of your regular brew.
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2. Rest

 

After your Reiki session, it’s important to slow down.

 

If possible, schedule your Reiki appointment at a time where you’ll have the rest of the day off to relax or sleep. It’s important to not push yourself too hard after Reiki, because your body will probably want to rest. (This is true in 99% of the cases I have seen… I’ve also seen, though, once in a great while, a client who leaves a session totally fired up. They are bursting with fire and energy and may only need two hours of sleep that night. As in all things, this advice is simply a guideline, not a strict rule.)

 

In addition, I highly recommend disconnecting from technology for the rest of the day, as this will help your nervous system to decompress and relax. Yes, this means switching off your phone! (Don’t worry—everyone is busy with their own lives. They’ll be just fine if you’re unreachable for a little while.)

 

The first few days after a Reiki session are crucial, as your immune system is being strengthened and your body is finding balance. So, be kind to yourself. Be slow. Be gentle. Get lots of rest.

 

3. Let your emotions flow

 

A Reiki session can often trigger deep emotional healing. This experience may feel pleasant. Sometimes, it may not feel so pleasant. My clients have reported a range of emotions. Some have said they felt unusually happy, giddy, spacey, anxious, fearful, angry, furious, sad, or depressed after a session. No matter whether the emotions are seemingly “positive” or “negative”, it’s important that you simply allow them to be exactly as they are, without judgment.

 

When you freely allow yourself to feel (without repressing the emotions and without judging any emotions as good or bad), then you allow healing at a very deep level. Most of us have been taught by society to stifle our emotions, which causes massive damage in the long-run. Men have been especially wounded in this regard, as, in many cultures, they have been taught not to cry.

 

After your Reiki session, if you feel like you want to cry… then that is the very best thing that you can do! Please cry! If you feel like beating up a pillow with rage, then do so. Let it all out! If you feel like laughing—then please do! (Interestingly, I once worked with a woman who laughed hysterically during our whole time together! When I asked her if she was okay, she said, “Wow, I haven’t laughed like this in years! I so needed this!”)

 

The important thing to keep in mind is that if you have any intense mood swings after the session, this is your system’s natural way of finding balance.

 

If the mood swings seem dark or scary, please do not get angry or frustrated with yourself for having these feelings. In fact, the best thing you can do at this time is to give yourself a hug and say “I love you” to all the parts of you—including the shadowy, scary parts. Those parts are part of you, too. Just as a mother loves her child when he is being “naughty,” so too can we learn to love ourselves all the time, unconditionally.

 

 

4. Be patient and observant

 

Sometimes the results from Reiki are not immediately apparent. It may take a few weeks or even a few months before you can really perceive all that has shifted.

 

It’s important not to get lost in impatience, doubt, or self-criticism. Healing happens on its own schedule. The only steps we can take are to follow these aftercare tips and to be patient.

 

Remember to be as kind to yourself as possible. Don’t worry if the desired changes don’t immediately show up in your reality … they will, sooner or later.

 

5. Do your research and ask questions

 

After a session, you may suddenly find that you have a million questions about how Reiki works.

 

There’s nothing wrong with satisfying the mind’s natural desire for learning! There are plenty of amazing Reiki books, blogs, and videos out there. I especially love the teachings of Diane Stein, Frans Stiene, and Shalandra Abbey. You can also read all the Reiki posts here on this blog.

 

If you have any concerns or questions after your treatment, find out if your healer offers follow-up phone calls, texts, or supportive emails. Sometimes these services are included in the cost; sometimes they may be a bit extra.

 

6. Embrace detoxification symptoms

 

 When you receive Reiki healing, your body shifts into a higher frequency. When this happens, a detoxification process is often triggered; this is also known as the “healing crisis.”

 

Basically, this means your body is now shedding old toxins that do not resonate with the new, higher frequency.

 

If a detox process happens to you, please, my friend, have no fear! This is actually a very positive sign to your overall healing journey.

 

When you are detoxing, you may experience a runny nose, sneezing, soreness, headaches, joint or muscular pain, fatigue, acne, rashes, extra mucus, or even fever and diarrhea. This is simply your body cleansing itself of old patterns and toxins, which are then coming to the surface to be released.

 

Be patient as the detox occurs. Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of water and fresh, raw vegetable juice. (If you don’t have your own juicer, you can buy cold-pressed juices at your local grocery store.) Drinking lots of healthy fluids will help flush the toxins from your body and speed up the cleansing process.

 

During this crucial detox time, it’s a good idea to eat organic, healing foods such as: leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, coconut oil, and high-quality proteins such as pine nuts, walnuts, mushrooms, tempeh, and avocados. You may also want to support your immune system with high-quality vitamin C.

 

Symptoms can range from mild to severe and typically last anywhere from 1 to 21 days. If your symptoms persist for more than a few days (and are severe), make an appointment with your nearest holistic health care provider. They can recommend further strategies to help expedite the detox process. In addition, they can double-check that you are indeed experiencing detox and not something else.

 

It’s important to note that if you try to numb your symptoms (for example, with alcohol or by using pain killers like Tylenol or over-the-counter cold medicine), then you will actually stall, negate, or totally reverse the healing process.

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It may be challenging to deal with the symptoms, yes, but your body knows what it is doing. Temporary discomfort is often a necessary part of the healing journey. Stick with it! Soon, you will feel better than you ever have before!

 

If you are suffering from a chronic illness, you may want to invest in weekly Reiki sessions. When I began my healing journey about 7 years ago, I received a healing session at least once a week for a few months. This was necessary to jumpstart my process of detoxification, which included a runny nose, achy joints, mood swings, moments of bliss and euphoria, intense crying, strange dreams, rashes, acne, fatigue, and nausea. It was difficult, but I persisted. After a few months, I made the commitment to train as  a Reiki practitioner, so I could give myself healing treatments every day.

 

7. Embrace the changes

 

My clients repeatedly report that they feel “different” after a Reiki session.

 

When you receive a healing, your intuition is heightened and your normal stress-response is calmed.

 

After your first Reiki session, you may have needs and wants that differ from your normal routine. For example, you might realize that you need 12 hours of sleep for a few weeks, or you might find that you suddenly are craving green beans with an intense passion! Many of my clients report an urge to spend more time in peaceful, quiet spaces or out in nature. Or, they suddenly have the drive to learn yoga or to exercise more.

 

Another example of a sudden shift is having a distaste for things you normally enjoy. One of the most common effects after a session is being unable to enjoy alcohol, sugary sweets, meats, or processed foods.

 

The important thing is to listen to yourself and give yourself permission to find out what feels good for you.

 

Enjoy the journey, my friend!
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*Please note: I am not a medical doctor; I am not a licensed medical practitioner or psychologist. This article does not constitute professional medical or psychological advice. I am simply sharing my personal opinion, based upon my years of serving as a minister and Reiki practitioner.

 

I’ve had a lot of questions lately about how Reiki (energy healing) really works.

 

In this post, I’m going to give you the answers you’ve been looking for.

 

Okay, here we go …

 

The Japanese word “Reiki” means “universal life force energy.” This is a similar concept to “prana” in the system of yoga and “chi” in the practice of Tai Chi. In fact, all ancient cultures around the world have this concept.

 

Simply put, Reiki is the stuff of life. It is our basic building block of existence.

 

Each one of us is composed of energy. This is what we fundamentally are. Our science textbooks when we were kid may have said that we are made of atoms, of particles, of matter—however, my friends, I’m sorry to tell you that that was sorely outdated info!

 

Energy. We are made of energy.

 

And what is energy, you ask? Energy is vibrating waves of light.

 

It may appear that our bodies are perfectly solid—however, this is just an optical illusion!

 

The latest studies in quantum physics have shown that our eyes interpret objects and people as solid forms simply because that is the easiest way for us human beings to be able to function in our daily lives. (Wouldn’t it be a bit chaotic and annoying if our friends and our furniture were always swirling and moving about?!)

 

In reality, over 99% of your body (and everything else!) is empty space!

 

When our eyes “see” something, they are actually filtering out most of what is actually there, and simply showing us a more easily-digestible, easily-understandable picture.

 

Maybe you’ve heard of psychics who can see auras or mediums who can communicate with deceased loved ones in other realms? How do they do this, you ask? Well, they can do this simply because these people have trained themselves (or they have been born with a special gift) to see the quantum reality. They can see things that are hidden to most people. They see energy.

 

A Reiki healer is also someone who can perceive the deepest quantum, energetic reality. They’ve been specially trained to sense into the energetic reality of the human body, mind, emotions—everything.

 

During an energy healing session, the practitioner collects the Reiki energy from all around them and channels it into you for the purposes of your upliftment and healing.

 

Sound supernatural? Not really. They are performing a service that, in truth, anyone can learn how to do.

 

Doing Reiki is not a rare magic power. We all have the capability to learn this skill. It is a totally natural process.

 

Indeed, we all have the ability to channel energy for healing purposes. Even young children can do it. It’s simply that our society has trained us to believe otherwise. Learning Reiki or another form of energy healing is simply a process of de-conditioning yourself from what society has taught you.

 

On a spiritual level, an energy healer is someone who is helping you to remember why you came onto the planet, why you are here in this body and in this life. They are reassuring comforters and way-showers. They tell you what the politicians don’t know and what your parents probably didn’t teach you. They help reveal to you the awesome, mystical secrets.

 

In truth, who you really are at the quantum level is not a personality nor a body, but rather a timeless, immortal spirit. You are waves of beautiful, pulsating energy. You are Divinity itself.

 

Through contact with a Reiki healer, your whole system is upgraded. Just like it’s beneficial to periodically upgrade your computer software, the same is true for us humans, too. We need periodic upgrades in order to reach higher states of health, wisdom, and wellbeing.

 

Indeed, when we receive a Reiki healing session, we are receiving a beneficial adjustment at the deepest level of who we are.

 

Usually, people are initially drawn to Reiki because they are suffering a problem, whether emotional or physical. And yet, once they experience a Reiki session, they begin to ask deeper questions about life. They begin their long-awaited spiritual adventure.

 

Indeed, a healing crisis is often the beginning of a very beautiful adventure.

 

Though illness may initially appear “bad,” in truth it is beautiful because it often triggers an earnest search beyond the surface-level of reality, beyond what appears to be true … this is the path to enlightenment.

 

Dear friend, welcome to Reiki! Welcome to your healing journey! May you be blessed!